(Lanka-e-News -05.Aug.2025, 11.00 PM) In accordance with Section 17 of the Removal of Officers (Procedure) Act, No. 5 of 2002, the Resolution presented for the removal of T.M.W. Deshabandu Tennakoon from the post of Inspector-General of Police was passed by a majority vote in Parliament today (05).
This marks the first time in history that an IGP has been removed from office by Parliament. The former IGP who is removed from office due to misconduct and serious abuse of power will even lose his pension.
The Resolution was taken up for debate today from 11.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Subsequently, during the vote held at 4.10 p.m., a majority of the total number of Members of Parliament (including those who were absent) voted in favor, with 177 MPs supporting the Resolution. Accordingly, the Resolution was passed by a majority vote and no votes were cast against the Resolution whilst one member abstained from voting.
Although the SJB stated that it was not opposed to the motion, about 30 SJB MPs were not in Parliament when the vote was taken. Namal Rajapaksa, the only MP from the Pohottuwa party, spoke against the motion but was not in Parliament when the vote was taken.
Along with the NPP, the Tamil National Alliance MPs voted in favor of the motion.
A motion signed by 115 Members of Parliament requesting the appointment of a Committee of Inquiry for the removal of Inspector-General of Police Mr. Deshabandu Tennakoon was handed over to the Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne in March, and subsequently, the motion for the appointment of the said Committee of Inquiry was approved by Parliament on April 08, 2025.
Thereafter, a Committee of Inquiry was appointed to inquire into and report on allegations of gross abuse of power and serious misuse of authority by T.M.W. Deshabandu Tennakoon in the discharge of his duties as Inspector-General of Police. The Committee of Inquiry, chaired by then Supreme Court Judge P.P. Surasena and comprising Justice W.M.N.P. Iddawala and E.W.M. Lalith Ekanayake, Chairman of the National Police Commission, was appointed.
Subsequently, the Committee of Inquiry, having conducted investigations in accordance with the provisions of the aforesaid Act, handed over its final report to the Hon. Speaker on July 21. Thereafter, the Hon. Speaker tabled the said report in Parliament on July 22.
According to the report of the Committee of Inquiry, out of the total 23 charges levelled against the Inspector-General of Police, he was found guilty of Charges No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, and 23.
After the motion was passed today, the Speaker will inform the President that the motion to remove Deshabandu Tennakoon from the post of IGP has been passed, and the President will nominate a new IGP and send it to the Constitutional Council. After the Constitutional Council approves it, the President will appoint the new IGP.
The Sri Lankan police should learn a lesson from this. That is, to ensure that a corrupt officer like Deshabandu never appears in the Sri Lanka Police Service again.
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by (2025-08-05 20:16:02)
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